Alnwick branch line

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The Alnwick branch line was a railway line in Northumberland, northern England. It ran from Alnmouth railway station, on the East Coast Main Line, to the town of Alnwick, a distance of 2.75 miles (4.5 km).

It opened in 1850 to both freight and passenger traffic; passenger operations included direct Newcastle to Alnwick services, as well as regular shuttle runs between Alnmouth and Alnwick. As late as 1966, some of the Alnmouth to Alnwick shuttles were operated by steam locomotives, making this one of the very last British Rail routes with steam-hauled passenger services.

Although the line survived the Beeching cuts, it was closed in January 1968 on cost grounds. The Aln Valley Railway Society campaigns for the line to be reopened and passenger services restored.

[edit] External links

• Aln Valley Railway Society

• Northumbrian Railways

• BVE simulation of Alnmouth to Alnwick